The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced that Joanne Chesimard has been added to its Most Wanted Terrorists list. Thursday's bulletin gave Chesimard, a black nationalist, the dubious distinction of being the first woman to be placed on the list.

Chesimard, better known as Assata Shakur, was a member of the
Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army when, on May 2, 1973,
she was driving through New Jersey with two others. The car was
pulled over for a broken taillight and a gunfight ensued with
police. One officer and one man from Shakur’s group were
killed.

Despite being injured, she managed to flee from the scene but
was eventually arrested and, in 1977, convicted of murder and
sentenced to life in prison. But in 1979, The New York Times
reported, she “escaped from Clinton Correctional Institute for
Women after three male visitors drew handguns, kidnapped two guards
and seized a prison minibus in order to drive out of the grounds to
two getaway cars. They left the guards handcuffed but
unharmed.”

It’s been widely speculated that Shakur was aided in her escape
by the Black Liberation Army. William Kunstler, her trial lawyer,
told reporters at the time that Shakur’s health had declined in
prison.

“I was very happy that she escaped because I thought she was
unfairly tried,” he said, as quoted by the Gothamist.

Her surviving accomplice, Sundiata Acoli, born Clark Edward
Squire, is still held in a federal prison after being denied parole
several times.

In 1984 Shakur was granted asylum by Cuban leader Fidel Castro,
who called the charges against her “an infamous lie.”
Originally from the Queens section of New York City, Shakur
explained her situation on her website.

“My name is Assata (“she who
struggles”) Olugbala (“for the people”) Shakur (“the thankful
one”), and I am a 20th Century escaped slave,” she wrote.
“Because of government persecution, I was left with no other
choice than to flee from the political repression, racism and
violence that dominate the US government’s policy towards people of
color. I am an ex political prisoner, and I have been living in
exile in Cuba since 1984. I have been a political activist most of
my life, and although the US government has done everything in its
power to criminalize me, I am not a criminal, nor have I ever been
one.”

She went on to admit involvement with the Black Panther Party
and described the FBI’s intention to “destroy it and its leaders
and activists.”

Federal and New Jersey law enforcement announced during
Thursday’s news conference that they had doubled the reward for
information leading to Shakur’s capture from $1 million to $2
million. Along with being the first female named to the list, she
is only the second domestic 'terrorist' on the list, which was
assembled to identify those responsible for the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.

“We would be naïve to think there’s not some communication
between her and some of those people she used to run around with
today,” said Aaron Ford, the special agent in charge of the
FBI’s office in Newark, New Jersey.

He did not elaborate on the reasoning behind the seemingly
sudden decision to add Shakur, now 65 years old, to the list. New
Jersey law enforcement has previously campaigned for her
extradition, appealing to Pope John Paul II when he traveled to
Cuba in 1998.

“To this day, from her safe haven in Cuba, Shakur has been
given a pulpit to preach and profess, stirring supporters and
groups to mobilize against the United States by any means
necessary,” Fuentes said. “We also have reason to believe
that she has established association with other international
terrorist organizations.”

Fuentes did not mention what evidence the New Jersey state
police had connecting Fuentes to international terror syndicates,
but Ford was careful to note that the US – still struggling to
reform its relationship with Cuba – has little hope the country
will comply with American requests.

“Currently it’s not
good,” Ford said during the press event. “We don’t enjoy a
great extradition status with that country.”